Match Question

[xampower]

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I was looking over the explanation by the acgme on how the match works and I am a little confused on something.

Say for example the place I rank #1 didn't rank me so the computer automatically goes to my #2 choice to try to set up a tentative match. If my #2 program had say 5 positions and they all were tentatively filled by people that ranked them #1, but the program ranked me say #1, who would win??? Do I get a tentative match there because the program had me #1 or will I not have a match because the filled slots are all people who ranked the program #1??? I guess my question is which has more weight, the program rank or my rank?

 

[the citizen]

I was looking over the explanation by the acgme on how the match works and I am a little confused on something.

Say for example the place I rank #1 didn't rank me so the computer automatically goes to my #2 choice to try to set up a tentative match. If my #2 program had say 5 positions and they all were tentatively filled by people that ranked them #1, but the program ranked me say #1, who would win??? Do I get a tentative match there because the program had me #1 or will I not have a match because the filled slots are all people who ranked the program #1??? I guess my question is which has more weight, the program rank or my rank?

You would win. Rank the programs in the order you want them; don't try to be fancy.

 

[xampower]

Thanks citizen. I plan to rank them based on where I want to go. But I was reading the description and really didn't understand what happens when you didn't get a tentative match at your #1.

 

[pikachu]

You would win. Rank the programs in the order you want them; don't try to be fancy.

So what you're saying is the match is weighted in favor of the programs? (the program would get ITS number one choice, even though there were other students ranking that program #1 "ahead" of this student, who ranked the program #2 but was ranked by the program #1.) If you're right, the match is not weighted in favor of the students as the ACGME so loves to claim. It seems like the match has to be weighted somewhat in favor of the programs so that the hospitals are ensured to have enough residents to get their work done.

 

[the citizen]

So what you're saying is the match is weighted in favor of the programs? (the program would get ITS number one choice, even though there were other students ranking that program #1 "ahead" of this student, who ranked the program #2 but was ranked by the program #1.) If you're right, the match is not weighted in favor of the students as the ACGME so loves to claim. It seems like the match has to be weighted somewhat in favor of the programs so that the hospitals are ensured to have enough residents to get their work done.

How you interpret who wins with the present system is up to you. However, I believe the current system favors the student in that a student matches best if he ranks the programs in his order of preference. Read through the algorithm at nrmp and I think you will find it in favor of the student.

Say a person is obviously the best student in the country, but is hated secretly by the PD at Harvard. He ranks Harvard #1, Hopkins #2, and 5 other schools; he is not ranked by Harvard but is ranked #1 by Hopkins and by all others. If the system gave preference to those who rank a program #1, this student would likely not match at all. A student would then be required to accurately gauge a program's interest in him in order to match instead of merely ranking the programs in his order of preference. That system would suck.

 

[beriberi]

Excellent post/example, citizen.

It is really the order of your list that matters, not the numbers. If your number one program--or any other program-- does not rank you (highly unlikely) then your list will be "re-numbered" without that program on it.

 

[binka_777]

I have another hypothetical situation.
Say I rank 10 programs. Each of those programs has only one spot. Say my # 1 program did not rank me at all. Go to #2. They didn't rank me either, and so on to my #10 program, who ranked me #1. Other people out there ranked this #10 program as #1 for them. Who would match if the program has only one spot?

 

[Pili]

I have another hypothetical situation.
Say I rank 10 programs. Each of those programs has only one spot. Say my # 1 program did not rank me at all. Go to #2. They didn't rank me either, and so on to my #10 program, who ranked me #1. Other people out there ranked this #10 program as #1 for them. Who would match if the program has only one spot?

Guys you crack me up
The person highest on the program rank that had also ranked it high would match.

 

[speyeder]

You would because program #10 ranked you 1st. Put it this way, a program will only take a lower ranked applicant if a higher ranked applicant matched at a program higher on his/her rank list.

I have another hypothetical situation.
Say I rank 10 programs. Each of those programs has only one spot. Say my # 1 program did not rank me at all. Go to #2. They didn't rank me either, and so on to my #10 program, who ranked me #1. Other people out there ranked this #10 program as #1 for them. Who would match if the program has only one spot?

 

[Idiopathic]

A program cant 'steal' an applicant whom it ranked #1, although a student will always be put at his #1 if possible.

 

[Seaglass]

Right. For example in the 10-program scenario, it would be weighted towards the programs if Mr. X had been ranked #5 at his #2 program but #1 at that #10 and got matched at that #10. Programs can't "pull" applicants out of their more preferred programs by ranking them higher - you go to your highest ranked program that has also ranked you highly.

 

[margaritaboy]

Folks....Do not try an outsmart The Match. Simply rank programs in your order of preference.

Confusion about the match algorithm seems to come up every year, which begets more confusion and even a couple of creative conspiracy theories. There may be other reasons to dislike the NRMP Match, but the algorithm itself seems pretty equitable.

Here is the explanation:

http://www.scutwork.com/cgi-bin/links/page.cgi?page=Algorithm&d=1

My advise is to really work through the explanation until you know it inside and out. Then, when your less knowledgeable and more paranoid classmates inquire, you can laugh in their faces and spit out a trite and concise answer while simultaneously insulting them…..or you can be nice and just explain it to them. 😀

 

[beriberi]

Another way to understand how the match works: (because if you know the match inside and out, you will be able to understand the system in a couple of different ways).

Everyone is placed at their number one choice. In a perfect world, the match would then be done. However, some programs will be overfilled (the match does not care about the under filled programs). The over filled programs will have to bump out students. If five people rank a program with 3 spots #1, they are all placed there. Then the program bumps the 2/5 people who are lower on the rank list.

So: Timmy, Pablo, Pat, Mike and Laura all rank General Hospital #1.
General Hospital (who has 3 spots) has a list that looks like this 1-Pablo, 2-Laura, 3- Susan, 4-Mike 5-Joe 6-Pat 7-Timmy.
Therefor, in the 'first round', Pablo, Laura and Mike will recieve spots at General and TImmy and Pat will be placed at their #2 selection.

After you do that, some programs will still be too full. (Maybe Susan got bumped from her first choice and is now placed at General). So, you bump everyone out again, except for the top 3 (or however many the program can accomodate). In our situation, if Susan got bumped from her number one program (because she was not ranked highly by them), then she lands at General and will displace Mike, who is not ranked highly by the program. Mike will get bumped to the #2 spot on his list, where he may stick (if he is ranked highly by them) or move along to #3. This continues until no program is over filled.

Some students end up bumped out of every program, and then scramble. If you understand this, then you realize that you will never scramble as long as a program that ranks you has space available (no matter where you are on each others' lists). This can work for you and against you (See the thread, due to be published in March 2005 entitled: MATCHED AT #22 on my rank list, how do I get out of contract?)

The NRMP can say the system is in the students' favor, because in a perfect world, everyone ends up at their #1, regardless of where the program ranks them.